After he reported a noose, the complaint says he was moved - not those he complained about
A Black autoworker is suing FCA US LLC, alleging he was handed a noose at a Michigan plant and punished after he reported it.
The worker filed suit on July 27, 2026 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. According to the complaint, he began working at FCA's Sterling Heights plant around 2017 as a contractor and faced years of racial harassment that he says the company failed to stop.
One of the central allegations concerns a noose. The complaint says nooses were hung on vehicles on the line of Black supervisors, and that a co-worker handed one to the worker and said, "this is for you on your national holiday." He says he photographed it, took it to HR, and filed a race discrimination complaint.
According to the filing, HR investigated and fired that co-worker. But the complaint alleges the retaliation did not stop. The worker says he had been set to convert from contractor to direct FCA employee, and that after he complained the move was "delayed and bumped" so it never happened.
The complaint describes a pattern of reports that, according to the worker, drew no meaningful response. He alleges a co-worker called him a racial slur around May 2023, and that a line supervisor responded, "I don't think she meant it that way." He says he reported it to HR and nothing changed.
After a transfer to another production line, the complaint says, a co-worker produced what the filing calls a "White Privilege Card" and made jokes about whipping slaves. When the worker complained, he alleges, a supervisor replied, "that's just how they were raised."
The worker also alleges he was sexually harassed by a line supervisor who repeatedly asked whether he found her attractive, and that the conduct continued through the summer of 2023 after he said it was unwelcome. He says he reported it to HR in September 2023.
The complaint describes a second slur incident on October 25, 2023, which the worker says he reported to a cell leader, a line supervisor and HR without any remedial action.
Rather than address the people he had accused, the complaint alleges, FCA moved the worker between production lines - to the Magna line, the Honda line, then the Ford line - while those he had complained about stayed in place. He says he was blamed for production problems and, in his account, constructively discharged because of his race, meaning conditions became so hostile that he felt forced to leave.
The suit brings three counts - race discrimination and harassment, sex discrimination and harassment, and retaliation - and cites 42 U.S.C. section 1981, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. It seeks damages in excess of $75,000 on each count.
According to the complaint, a charge of discrimination was filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on July 9, 2026, under charge number 471-2026-06515, and the agency has not yet issued a right-to-sue letter. The filing says the worker anticipates submitting an amended complaint that would include claims under Title VII.
None of the allegations have been tested in court, and no judge has ruled on the claims.
